Client Server Networks

Client/Server Networks

A network in which one or more computers are designated as a server(s) and the other computers on the network, called clients, can request services from the server.

Server

A computer that serves information to connected computers, such as Web servers, mail servers and LAN servers. When a user connects to a server, application, files, printers and other information become available.

Client

A client is a computer system that accesses a (remote) service on another computer by some kind of network.

Size: Client/server network are generally suited for large networks and can be used with any size of network. Client/server networks are easy to set up and can be configured to meet most of the requirements of large computers.

Efficiency: Servers carry out most of the processing and resource-intensive tasks on a client/server network. As servers have more memory and are faster than client or desktop computers, they are better in work for performing complex tasks. Service also have more storage space than client computers. So services can efficiently store and manage all the files for a network.

Services: A server is usually used to provide one specific service to clients on a network, such as, a print server controls printing for all the clients on a network. An application server stores and runs all the programs on a network. A database server stores and organizes large amounts of information. Most client/server networks have a network administrator. It is the duty of the administrator to manage the network, like data backups and security monitoring must be carried out regularly. The servers on a client/server network are usually located in one central area to make administration easier.

Security: Most companies store network servers in locked rooms. Only the network administrator has access to these rooms. This percents unauthorized people from interfering with the server. If a network server is not functioning properly the entire network will get affected.

Cost: Client/server networks need specialized, dedicated servers that can be very costly. Since the servers do most of the work, the client computers on a client/server network can be less powerful and less expensive.